COMMUNITY FORUM

Low hot water pressure

For the past year the hot water pressure seems to have decreased in our 2 story home. We have very little hot water in the upstairs bathroom and the pressure is very low. The cold water pressure is fine. I know that a neighbor had mentioned we were getting sediment from our water source. Could this be the problem? Please help.

Sediment could be a problem. I would think though, if the problem is on the entire hot system, its either you have galvanized pipe and it is reduced in size, or there is a blockage in the water heater supply. You may have to test this theory. If you remove the supply tube from one of your sinks and install a flexible supply tube to the angle valve only. Then run the supply into a bucket and time the flow. If you do, you should be able to tell your volume. You need at least 15 gpm (gallons per minute) for a faucet to feel like it has good supply. Though the faucet only requires 1.5 gpm with a low flow, it will barely flow out of the faucet. If you know the volume of your bucket, you can turn on the valve to the supply and see what your flow is. If a five gallon bucket fills up in 20 seconds, then you have enough flow. If it takes longer, then you probably have a problem with your water pipes or your water heater.